Dragon and Stag
by Garrett C McArthur
Summary: The first story in my series "Ice and Fire". It's an AU of Robert's Rebellion. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

_*Sigh*_

 _I know, you guys are angry because I haven't posted an update for_ The Dragon _yet. I really do want to, but I just can't motivate myself to write very much fanfiction these days. I promise you, someday soon, you will be able to read a new chapter in_ The Dragon, _but for now you will have to be satisfied with this book._

" _What is this new story?" you may ask. Well, I have been wanting to do a couple different stories lately, with cool AU's, including one where Robert AND Rhaegar die on the Trident, one where Ned Stark became the heir to the Eyrie, and multiple other ones. However, I knew I would NEVER be able to keep up with that many stories, as I am having trouble with one. So, as a compromise, I bring you a new series called_ Ice and Fire. _It is a complete AU of the current history of_ ASOIAF. _It will start in the months before Robert's Rebellion, and end with the Battle of Ice and Fire. It is a large project, and will take me a long time to complete, but for now let's just focus on this first book in this long series. My plan is to have this story go to the Tower of Joy, and what I think happens there. I hope you enjoy, and feedback is ALWAYS welcome!_

This was her destiny. She was meant to do this. This is what her father had prepared her to do.

Cersei Lannister, daughter to Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, and former Hand of the King, would be marrying Prince Rhaegar, the firstborn son of King Aerys II Targaryen. She would be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms one day.

 _The king must die._

Cersei shuddered as she remembered the words of her father's letter. She has read them almost two months prior, when her father summoned her to his quarters. It was when had first told her of the betrothal between the crown prince and herself. Her father's steward had requested to speak to Lord Tywin, so Cersei was left alone in the room of her lord father. The paper lying in front of her caught her eye. It was her lord father's handwriting, that much was certain. It was addressed to Ser Oswell Whent, and signed at the bottom by Lord Tywin Lannister. A seal rested beside it, ready to be pressed.

Her eyes skimmed the words on the page. It was upside down, so she only caught a few words that made complete sense to her. _Rhaegar… Harrenhal… tourney… Stark… Jaime… Iron Throne…_

One sentence immediately caught her attention, though. _The king must die._

She knew it was treasonous to even think such things, nonetheless write them and send them to another person. And it had been her father who had wrote those words, to a knight from House Whent. She knew the Whents were the holders of Harrenhal. Could they be plotting to murder the king; her soon to be father-by-blood?

One of the first things she did once she reached King's Landing less than a week ago, after the formal introductories, was go to Jaime, her twin brother. He was a member of the Kingsguard, the personal bodyguards of King Aerys, so it was hard for her to find a time she could be alone with him. When she was younger, before Jaime had joined the Kingsguard, her and Jaime had been lovers. She knew it was wrong, but she loved her twin. Now, though, she realized the foolishness of what they had done. Luckily Jaime had never taken her maidenhead, for she would be in a very dire position had he done that act. That part of her life was behind her now; far behind her. She was to be the queen, and be the mother to a king.

The reason she had wanted to speak to Jaime alone was to discuss what she had seen in the letter. She had not directly told him everything, she just asked if he knew who Ser Oswell Whent was.

"Of course I do," Jaime had replied. "He is my sworn brother." Then he looked confused. "Why do you ask, sweet sister?"

Cersei had felt foolish. She should have known Ser Oswell was a knight of the Kingsguard. "It's just… there was a letter."

Jaime had frowned at his sister. "What letter?"

Cersei had not meant to tell him all of it, but she had. She never had been one to keep a secret. It was something her younger brother Tyrion always seemed intent on reminding her. "Please, Jaime, you mustn't tell anyone what I saw. You can't!"

When she had started to cry, Jaime wiped the tears from her cheek. "Cersei… there are things happening in this world that you cannot understand. There are bad people in this world, and they would hurt our family if we don't deal with them."

Cersei had looked up at her brother. She realized that he knew about what was going. He knew about the letter. "You have to tell me what's going on, Jaime. Please."

Jaime had sighed. "Sister, you are a woman. You cannot understand."

She hadn't spoken to her brother since that moment, two days ago. She wished she wasn't a woman, so that she could understand what her brother had been talking about, and what her father had been writing about. But for now, she could only focus on her wedding.

There was a knock on her door. "Come in," Cersei called out.

It was her brother Tyrion. Every time she looked at her younger brother, she winced. He was only 11, and already he was close to being as tall as he would be. Tyrion was a dwarf.

"Tyrion?" she asked, surprised to see her younger brother. He was supposed to be in Casterly Rock, ruling in the stead of their father.

"Sister," he greeted. "You look very pretty."

"Thank you, brother, but why is it that you are here. Father commanded you to be the castellan of Casterly Rock while we were here."

Tyrion laughed. "I am hardly eleven years of age. I was castellan only in name. Uncle Kevan rules Casterly Rock."

Cersei smiled. Her brother was wise beyond his ears. He had a thing for figuring out information that he shouldn't know. Sometimes she wondered how he never found out about her and Jaime. "I'm glad you are here to see me married, Tyrion."

"Come, sister," Tyrion said, holding out his hand. "Father awaits outside the sept."

Cersei took his hand and had her brother lead her through the halls of the Great Sept of Baelor. After what seemed like the longest walk of her life, but in reality lasted probably no more than a couple minutes, the two reached the door to the main hall of the Sept. Her father waited for her. He was dressed in his famous steel armor, gilded to look golden. He had crimson red shoulder pads, and a crimson lion on his breast. He was a stern man, and only ever smiled when he was with his wife. However, Lady Joanna was at Casterly Rock right now.

Lord Tywin held out his arm, and Cersei took it. Tyrion gave a quick knock on the door, and they opened, revealing the Great Sept of Baelor.

There were hundreds of lords and ladies on each side of the hall, and almost half as many Targaryen men-at-arms. At the end of the hall stood Prince Rhaegar. Once again, Cersei found herself thinking that he was the most handsome man alive. Unusually, he wasn't equipped with his armor, like most men did during public events such as a royal wedding. Behind the crown prince sat the king on a makeshift throne, surrounded by his kingsguard.

As they approached, Rhaegar stepped aside, and Cersei curtsied to the king and her father knelt, just like she had been told. Rhaegar motioned for them to stand. As they did, the king stood up quickly, with anger in his eyes.

"Did I say rise?" he demanded, staring at his son instead of Cersei and Tywin. "When did you decide you had command over me? You are not king yet, although I know you wish to be!"

"Your Grace, I-"

"Silence!" the king commanded his son. "You will speak only when I deem it is necessary." He turned his eyes to Cersei's father. "And you, Lannister, should have better sense than to disobey a king!"

Tywin started to kneel again, and nudged Cersei to do the same, but the king held up a hand.

"So this is the Lannister whore?" King Aerys said. "I heard you fucked every man in Casterly Rock."

Cersei's face went pale. What was he talking about? She looked to her father, but he was still looking at the ground. She had never seen anyone do this to Tywin Lannister.

"I… Your Grace… I never," she stammered, but then Rhaegar stepped in front of her, facing his father.

"Aerys!" he shouted. The whole sept fell silent. "This is my wife! You will speak to her with respect."

"Stand aside!" King Aerys screamed. "Your king commands it."

When Rhaegar continued to stand there, a member of the kingsguard approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. The crown prince did not fight back when the knight led him aside.

"Approach me, Lannister whore," the king told her. Hesitantly, she did so, stopping when she was in front of King Aerys.

"I bet you'll roar like your mother when I fuck you."

He didn't speak too loudly, but his words echoed all across the room.

Everyone started speaking at once. Rhaegar was being held back by a member of the kingsguard, her father was standing up, marching up to the king, the Kingsguard were moving in to surround Aerys, and her brother Jaime drew his sword, standing, ready to fight.

King Aerys turned Cersei around, holding her. "Stand down!" he screamed, but his command fell on deaf ears. Tywin was being grabbed by three members of the Kingsguard, Rhaegar had broken loose and was rushing up to his father. Jaime was threatening another member of the Kingsguard, telling him to stand aside unless he wanted a blade through his throat.

Prince Rhaegar was about to punch Ser Gerold Hightower, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but the knight stepped aside, allowing the prince to approach the king.

"Let her go or I will kill you," he said, with hatred in his eyes.

The Mad King laughed. "No one commands the dragon!"

Jaime was coming to blows with one of the Kingsguard, Ser Barristan Selmy, now. Cersei started to feel tears swell on her eyes. Rhaegar drew a small dagger from inside his suit. "Hand her over," he said. Rhaegar had the dagger pointed forward, directly at the stomach of his father.

King Aerys, still laughing hysterically, said, "I am the king."

The next moments were a blur. She was lying in the arms of Rhaegar, and everyone was screaming louder.

Next she was falling, and some Kingsguard knights were dragging Rhaegar back.

Her last memory was Jaime leaning over her, weeping.


	2. Maron I

_First things first, I want to apologize for not posting this chapter last weekend. Things got really busy for me between my robotics program and my job at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. I'm here now though, and this should be a nice chapter. I really wanted to highlight House Greyjoy in this series, and Balon is not an interesting character to me and Theon and Asha are too young. Then I remembered that Theon had two older brothers. So, here I am, with the first Maron Greyjoy chapter. I hope you enjoy._

The door to the brothel swung open. A sailor with an unkempt beard shoved Maron aside. Maron kept his footing, ignoring the drunken man. It never failed to surprise him that men got this drunk early in the morning.

Catching the door, he walked into the common room. It was a little less than half full. Some men were sitting down, with women on their laps, laughing. Some were sitting alone, drinking. One large group were all laughing and drinking together. He didn't see his brother.

A woman approached him, and seductively put her hand on his shoulder. She was descent looking, wearing only lower garments and a loose shirt, letting her breasts carelessly hang out.

"You look lonely, captain," she whispered in his ear.

Maron wasn't interested in anything this woman could offer him. "It's 'my lord'. I'm looking for my brother."

The woman smiled. "Well, mi' lord, I could help you look for him. I suggest we start downstairs."

She began to pull him away from the door, but he stayed put. "My brother's name is Rodrik. Have you seen him?"

A man approached Maron. He shooed the whore away, and looked back at Maron. "Greyjoy?" he asked.

"Yes. Have you seen him recently?"

The man shook his head. "He refused the pay for the services of our good ladies here, stating it was his 'right' that he takes them without pay."

Maron sighed. He expected this of his older brother. "And?"

"I threw him out, with pleasure," the man said.

The ways of the ironborn would require Maron to cut off the hand of this man, for laying it on the heir to the Seastone Chair. However, Maron did not agree with the old way. And he had no doubt that Rodrik deserved it. He was a drunk, and cared nothing for the people around him. Not for the first time, Maron reflected how horrible of a lord Rodrik would make.

"Would you happen to know where he went next?" Maron asked the man.

"To bug some other sorry bastard, no doubt. That man is a plague to this island."

Maron nodded his thanks to the man, then walked back out the door. He took in the salty smell of the ocean. It was about the only thing enjoyable about this rocky hell. That, and Bella, the only child of Lord Baelor Blacktyde.

Maron had been to every tavern and brothel on Pyke, and this was the only lead he had to finding his older brother, who had been missing since yesterday morning. In all honesty, Maron didn't care that Rodrik was gone. And neither would their lord father on a normal occasion. However, a knight from Casterly Rock was expected to be here today, with an important request from Lord Tywin Lannister. It would be expected that Rodrik be present at the meeting.

However, it couldn't be helped that Rodrik was missing. He did this often, and Maron could not see finding him in the near future. He would return on his own. Maron would have to take his brother's place in court.

Upon entering the castle on Pyke, the home to House Greyjoy and the Seastone Chair, and the seat of the Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands, Maron saw that he was too late. His father, Lord Balon Greyjoy, was seated on the Seastone Chair, and a knight, with his squire carrying the banner of House Lannister standing beside him, was addressing Maron's father. When he entered, however, both looked at Maron.

"My lord," Maron immediately said, bowing to his father.

"Son," Balon said, anger in his eyes.

The knight bowed. "I have the honor of being Ser Tyrek Lannister, son of Ser Tyget Lannister and nephew to Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, and Warden of the West. You must be Ser Rodrik Greyjoy."

Balon Greyjoy laughed. "That is Maron, my second son."

The Lannister knight smiled. "Then greetings, Ser Maron Greyjoy."

"I am no knight, ser, and neither is my elder brother," Maron replied. Knighthood was not a tradition on most of the Iron Islands, including Pyke. Harlaw, Orkmont, and Blacktyde were the only islands that gave out knighthood to their soldiers. Those three islands also had septs on it, and allowed the worship of the Faith of the Seven. This was all because they were closer to the mainland of Westeros than any of the other islands.

Ser Tyrek cleared his throat and looked back towards Maron's father. "As I was saying, I come on behalf of Ser Kevan Lannister, who acts as regent in Lord Tywin Lannister's stead. He has a request for you, and perhaps news as well."

Lord Balon frowned. "What could the lion possibly have to offer the kraken, greenland knight?" he asked.

The young knight looked nervous. "Have you heard of the recent event at King's Landing?"

"The happenings of nobles do not worry us," Balon Greyjoy told him.

"Perhaps this one will, my lord," Ser Tyrek said. "King Aerys Targaryen lays on his deathbed. Prince Rhaegar attempted to open kill him."

Many questions went through Maron's head at that moment. He had not known much of the royal family. He knew, as everyone else did, that the king was mad. He had not known that there was bad blood between the king and his heir, though.

His lord father remained silent for some time, but finally spoke. "What of the crown prince?"

The knight, still nervous, responded. "I do not know, my lord. No one knows what is happening in King's Landing. Some say that Prince Rhaegar has taken the kingship, others that Rhaegar was executed."

"What ignited this murderous attempt?" Lord Balon asked.

Ser Tyrek's face visibly grew sadder. "There was a wedding. It was going to be between Prince Rhaegar and Cersei Lannister, the daughter of Lord Tywin." Ser Tyrek took a long pause. "The mad king murdered her."

This came as another shock to Maron. Once again, Balon showed no expression. "I see why you have come to me, today. I assume Tywin himself was present at this wedding, along with his two sons."

"You are correct. Lord Tywin and Ser Jaime remain in King's Landing. It is unknown what has become of them. The Imp has returned to Casterly Rock."

Ser Tyrek took out a roll of paper, and handed it over to Lord Balon. Maron's father broke the seal, and read the letter. After several minutes, he beckoned Maron to his side. As Maron stood next to his father, he took hold of the letter, and read it over.

It was a request to take up arms against House Targaryen. In return, Ser Kevan Lannister offers Lord Balon Greyjoy a seat on the small council as Master of Ships when a new king arose.

Maron knew what he would do if he was the Lord of Pyke. He would take the offer, and move his fleet against King's Landing. After the murder of Cersei Lannister, the realm would surely rise against the crown. However, his lord father was a very different man.

Lord Balon Greyjoy stood, and spoke. "I am a Greyjoy. Our sigil is the kraken. We do not sow, and we do not bow down to the lesser beasts."

The knight was about to say something, but the doors to the hall burst open, with ten Greyjoy household guards coming in with spears in their hands. They quickly surrounded the knight, and closed in around him.

"My lord, what is this?" Ser Tyrek demanded, reaching for his sword, only to remember it had been taken from him before he entered the hall.

"We do not sow, we reap," Lord Balon responded, and then the spears were entering the body of Ser Tyrek Lannister, until his body lay lifeless on the stone floor of Pyke.


End file.
